NE ZHA 2 (哪吒之魔童闹海) (2025)

Genre: CG Animation
Director: Jiaozi (Yang Yu)
Cast: Joseph, Han Mo, Chen Hao, Lü Yanting  
Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 6 March 2025

Synopsis: After the heavenly lightning, although Ne Zha and Ao Bing survived by becoming Spirits, they would soon dissipate completely. Taiyi plans to rebuild Ne Zha and Ao Bing’s mortal bodies with the Seven-colored Precious Lotus. However, during the process of reconstruction, numerous obstacles arise. What will become of the fate of Ne Zha and Ao Bing? 

Movie Review:

By now, ‘Ne Zha 2’ really needs no introduction – not only has it become the first movie to cross over $10 billion in the Chinese box office, making it the highest grossing film in China, it has also become the world’s highest-grossing animated film, and that is even before rolling out in many overseas territories, such as Singapore. Having seen the global phenomenon, as well as its predecessor six years ago, we will tell you that the hype is real and completely earned.

Back at the helm for this second instalment, writer-director Jiao Zi gives it his all, and a lot more. There is of course the titular fiery Demon Orb (Lü Yanting), whom for the uninitiated had overcome his predestination to become a villain to emerge an irascible but altogether noble hero, and the water-based Spirit Pearl Ao Bing (Han Mo), whom Ne Zha had forged a deep friendship with over the course of the last movie; both Ne Zha and Ao Bing had sacrificed their physical selves to save their respective clans, which is how ‘Ne Zha 2’ opens with their bumbling master Tai Yi (Zhang Jiaming) moulding physical bodies for them out of the Sacred Lotus.

Long story short – because Ao Bing’s physical reconstruction fails, Taiyi suggests that both entities share Ne Zha’s body first, and go through a series of accession trials run by Imperial Master Wuliang (Wang Deshun); this will then win them a magic potion known as the Elixir Reparo to revive the Sacred Lotus and therefore prepare yet another body for Ao Bing. As you can imagine, it is hardly as straightforward, and before long Ne Zha finds himself caught in an epic battle pitting Master Wuliang and his kingdom against that of the four dragon kings of the Eastern Sea.

To say that there is a lot of ground to cover is an understatement, and on his part, Jiaozi hardly bats an eyelid throwing plenty of subplots into the movie, with each of these subplots forming an excuse for yet another eye-popping, visually dazzling setpiece. There are the three accession trials – including one on Bandit Hill that has Ne Zha facing off against a whole swarm of marmots; one on Accession Falls that pits Ne Zha against the father of Ao Bing’s master leopard demon master Shen Gongbao (Yang Wei) and claims a casualty that will set in motion a chain of misunderstandings, grievances and revenge; and one on Skull Mountain that sees Ne Zha go up against a vain, female stone monster called Shi Ji whom literally can move mountains.

Without giving too much away, the byzantine plot also involves the destruction of Chentang Pass – otherwise known as Ne Zha’s hometown, where he was brought up by a loving husband-and-wife pair that teach him how to tame his more impulsive and even destructive instincts – which will result in Ne Zha flying into a rage against the purported destroyer Shen Gongbao. Like we said, it is hardly as simple as it seems, and just to give you a sense of how jaw-dropping the finale is, it sees thousands of white-clad martial-arts warriors from Wuliang’s Chan sect aim to take down the Loong King of the Eastern Sea and the denizens of his molten kingdom, culminating in these warriors cloaked in glowing golden bubbles of energy piling atop magical branches of what looks like a beautiful mountaintop tree in autumn in order to stop the latter from escaping out of a fiery Tianyuan caldron that will turn each of their souls into immortal pearls.

If it isn’t yet obvious, we can reassure you that it is utterly stunning to behold all right, and every reason to catch it on as big a screen as you can. While it may not yet achieve the Pixar level of elegance, the animation here is nonetheless breath-taking, and it is to Jiaozi’s credit that his ambition and imagination is truly matched by the execution. There is plenty of world-building here, what with the worlds of fire, ice and lightning, and the set-pieces are beautiful, ravishing and even awe-inspiring; and where it does take a pause from the spectacle, the character animation is also impeccable.

Amidst the myriad subplots and supporting characters though, there is inevitably some focus lost on our titular anti-hero. We suspect that Jiaozi had made a deliberate choice not to rehash similar ground about Ne Zha taming his own nature; instead, the Ne Zha we encounter here is a lot more mature and grounded than before, notwithstanding the occasional lowbrow humour that the kids will love, as he steps up to try to save a friend, then to avenge a town full of innocent people, and last but not least, to fight for justice against a self-aggrandising ruler. It is both a physical and psychological transformation, and one we wished that the movie would have spent more time on.

That said, in almost every respect, ‘Ne Zha 2’ is an absolute must-see. Some may no doubt be put off by how certain commentators have used its success to illustrate the rise of China (over the West), but let us reassure you that there are no such political overtones in the movie itself; instead, this is through and through a colossal achievement for the Chinese animation industry on every level, and it is no wonder that it has been rewarded with the success it has thus far. Whether young or old, Chinese or otherwise, ‘Ne Zha 2’ will delight, amaze and enthral all alike, so if you’ve had any reservations being part of this iconic blockbuster, give it a shot and we can guarantee you that it will win you over.

Movie Rating:

(Every bit as awesome, exhilarating and epic as it was hyped, 'Ne Zha 2' is an accomplishment on almost every level, from its wondrous animation, to its detailed, layered storytelling, and to its poignant themes of justice, sacrifice and virtue)

Review by Gabriel Chong